Patient psychological safety: A qualitative study of patient experiences (5 August 2026)

Summary

There is growing interest in understanding patients' experiences with psychological safety during healthcare encounters. Recent studies reveal that patients describe needing patient psychological safety (PPS) to form connections with their care providers, which are associated with better health outcomes. Therefore, it is critical to examine indicators of PPS. Using a phenomenological interpretive approach, this study utilised a patient narrative survey methodology to qualitatively explore how and why patients experience a lack of PPS during their healthcare encounters.